CBIBS 2008 Online Data Scavenger Hunt by Christopher Petrone; Adapted from CBIBS 2007 Data Scavenger Hunt by Lorraine Brasseur

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1 CBIBS 2008 Online Data Scavenger Hunt by Christopher Petrone; Adapted from CBIBS 2007 Data Scavenger Hunt by Lorraine Brasseur Background During our 2008 field experience aboard the R/V Pelican we sampled five stations in the York River between the VIMS Gloucester Point buoy and the VIMS NOMAD buoy at the mouth of the river. At each station, we sampled a series of basic water quality parameters. Our field sampling provided five discrete snapshots of the York River over the course of several hours. You saw first hand just how labor- and cost-intensive these discrete field sampling trips can be. Fortunately, with the advent of various sensors and satellite telemetry, these parameters can sometimes be measured continuously. Throughout the day and night, ocean observing systems report data to the internet 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with very limited day-to-day human involvement. In this activity, you will weave your way through the internet and discover just how much data are available at your fingertips any time you want it. However, you will find that data are often reported in dissimilar units and that stations that are in close proximity to each other can be administered by two completely different entities. These discrepancies can create frustration among users, which is why groups like Ocean.us and the National Science Foundation are helping streamline these systems and create one truly integrated ocean observing system (OOS). Ideally, the data of a truly integrated ocean observing system, composed of systems administered by various agencies and institutions, need to appear seamless. As you will see below, major discrepancies in something as important as the units of measurement can occur between systems that are within just a few miles of each other. Discrepancies can even exist between interfaces for the same system! For instance, Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System (CBIBS) buoy data are available from the CBIBS site ( but they are also available through the Chesapeake Bay Observing System (CBOS; and the NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC; websites. By visiting these other two sites, you will see that all user interfaces are not created equal! The CBOS site does an excellent job integrating data from all over the bay. Though the units may not all match between stations, for the most part the data found on the CBOS site are the same as the data found at the observing system's home page. The NOAA NDBC was one of the first to deploy large numbers of observing system gear and the first to pool a lot of the OOS data together. However, many of the non-ndbc stations posted on their site are missing data that are otherwise available on the actual station s home page. The NDBC website is an excellent place to start to find data from all over the world. But in cases where NDBC does not own and operate the station, you may have to visit the specific observing system's home page to find the complete data set. Objectives After completing this activity, students will be able to: - Find basic air and water quality measurements from ocean and weather observing systems throughout the Chesapeake Bay region - Critique user interfaces of Chesapeake Bay ocean observing systems - Recognize that the planned global ocean observing system is actually a system of individually owned and operated systems, each with their own identities, administrations, funding, and idiosyncrasies. s Follow the links and hunt for the desired online data. Be sure to explore the respective sites and not just look to answer the questions and move on. There is a lot to see on each of these sites, so while you have some time, check each one out and get a feel for what is out there. I. Exploring the Virginia Estuarine & Coastal Observing System (VECOS) Go to This is the homepage of the Virginia Estuarine & Coastal Observing System (VECOS) operated by VIMS and the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve of Virginia (CBNERRVA). Scroll down and under "Links", click on "VECOS Physical Realtime Sites." Get a feel for where we were on the York River yesterday. We sampled from the full red balloon on the left to the red balloon in the middle of the river to the right. Click on full red balloon on the left, Buoy #YRK005.67B, this is the VIMS Gloucester Point buoy and was our Station #1 yesterday. As you can see, many of the parameters we measured yesterday are being measured by this

2 buoy continuously. However, though the data do not continuously report to the real-time display list in front of you, they can be found in a continuous format by clicking on the hyperlinked parameter name, which displays graphs of the data. Have a look. Now go back to the real time data display (list format) and fill in Table 1 on the last page. Don't forget the units! a) Thinking question: What parameter that we measure yesterday with the YSI probe is measured by the Gloucester Point buoy in order to report salinity? (Hint: It s NOT reported on this site) b) In what units is salinity measured at the Gloucester Point buoy? c) Click on the " Salinity" link. This graph shows the salinity measurements over the past 24 hours. On the graph, locate the approximate time we sampled at the buoy. How does this data point compare to those we recorded? If the buoy data point is vastly different, why do you think that is? Using the links below the graph, you can isolate any 12 hour period over the past few years, or you can "zoom out" to up to a 1-year time scale and look at annual trends over the past few years. You can also export data to Excel and manipulate it on your own, or have your students do it! These same features are available for all of the parameters this buoy samples! You can pull similar data from the NOMAD buoy (Station YRK000.00B), but there is not as much recorded. You can combine these data with the data from the weather station on Goodwin Island (Station YRK000.00P; the land mass just south of the buoy) for a more complete picture of what's happening at the mouth of the York River. VECOS also features many archived data sets throughout the York, Piankatank, and James Rivers. Most of these data are collected by CBNERRVA data loggers. While these data are not real-time, they are still valuable for evaluating trends and anomalies for research, management and educational purposes. II. Exploring the Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System (CBIBS) Next we are going to explore CBIBS data. Go to and click on "Explore Buoy Data" in the top navigation bar. You will see six CBIBS buoys in the throughout the main stem of the Bay. Several of these buoy have been in the water since about May Click on "Most Recent Data" in the top sub-menu. You will see the most recent data from each of the buoys. Fill in Table 2 on the last page. Don't forget the units! a) In what units is salinity measured here? b) How does this relate to the units salinity is measured in at the VIMS Gloucester Point buoy? c) Any other units not match up between the two stations? d) Compare the salinities of three CBIBS stations: Jamestown, Potomac, and Patapsco. Considering the locations of the three stations in relation to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, do the data strike you as odd? What do you think accounts for this? e) In question 1a you were asked what parameter was used to calculate salinity. You, being the good students that you are, of course answered "conductivity." Since the CBIBS buoys report conductivity and salinity, let's just make sure the little computers inside those buoys are doing their job, shall we? Go to and enter the conductivity--remember to convert to the proper units for the Salinity Calculator! (1mmho/cm = 1mS/cm = 0.001S/cm). Pressure is 100 kpa. Reported conductivity (mmho/cm): Reported temperature (ºC; For conversion assistance, visit Website-calculated salinity:. Was the buoy calculation correct?

3 f) Click on the "Graphing Tool" link in the top sub-menu. Choose a Start date in the last 31 days (longer term Start dates are not yet available). Select any variables you wish for the x- and y-axes. Select one of the three CBIBS buoy stations (note: "Shallop" refers to a ship expedition that occurred during the summer of Only data recorded during the tripwill be available) and click "Create Graph." (Graph creation may take a few seconds, be patient) X-axis variable: Y-axis variable: At first glance, does there appear to be any correlation between your two variables? Explain. III. Exploring the Chesapeake Bay Observing System (CBOS) Let's take a quick look at the CBOS site. Go to and click on the "CBOS Interactive Map-based Data Portal" link in the middle of the page. You will see a Google Earth map of the Chesapeake Bay. Do your best to find the station (land or water-based) closest to your school. a) Station name: b) Name three of the parameters measured? c) In many cases the site will allow you to graph a parameter for the past 2, 7, or 30 days. See the little 2, 7, and 30 next to the data? Click on one and try out this feature. What parameter did you select? How many days worth of data did you select? What was the range for your selected parameter over the course of the graph? d) Find any interesting trends or anomalous data points? IV. Exploring the NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NOAA NDBC) In order to show you the breadth of the NOAA NDBC system, we are going to visit a NOMAD buoy in the western Aleutian Islands. Go to and click on the shaded box over Alaska. Out at the very tip of the Aleutian Island chain, you will see a blue square marked "46071," click on the number. You will see the most recent data from Station Fill in Table 3 on the last page. Don't forget the units! a) Do any of the units not match either of the other two systems? b) Given the air temperature at buoy and the air temperature here, today, which do you prefer? c) Given the wave heights, which location would be best for someone looking to do a little surfing? V. Beyond Buoys: Exploring the Rutgers University Coastal Ocean Observation Lab (RU COOL) During both the 2007 and 2008 workshops we visited the RU COOL via videoconference. Rutgers utilizes very different OOS technologies including satellites, HF radar, and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Let's take a quick glance at the data they offer. Go to and click on "Data" in the left hand navigation bar. This site lists the tons of data Rutgers collects. First let s look at sea surface temperature (SST) data, which is measured by satellites. Click on Real-time and Archived Satellite Imagery. You will see a list of available products pretty impressive, no? Click on Sea Surface Temperature Codar Overlays. This is exactly as the name implies: SST maps with current vectors superimposed (from HF radar; CODAR is a brand name, kind of like Kleenex). Under Images of Accessible Regions, click on Northeast. Scroll down to see the most recent images. The very top left will be the most recent followed by the one to its right, and so on. Click on the most recent map. a) Describe what you see (e.g. what is the water temperature range, where are temps the highest, why are they higher there, what are the surface currents doing, etc.?)

4 Now click back several times until you reach the list of COOL Data (list starts with Satellites, CODAR, Underwater Gliders, etc.). You learned a little about AUVs from Dr. Patterson and the folks at Rutgers, let s check out RU COOL s glider data. Click on Glider Fleet Homepage. Under Fleet Data Links, click on Active Deployments. b) Are there any active deployments? If so, which glider(s) is/are currently swimming? c) What is the general location of the glider s transect? Note: If there are no active deployments, go back and take a look at the first Archived Deployment. If there are multiple deployments, just pick one. d) What parameters is the glider measuring? e) Click on the salinity cross section profile. In what units is salinity reported? f) Are there any interesting trends or anomalous data points? If so, hypothesize why the figure looks as it does? Note: Since each glider mission is broken up into sometimes dozens of discrete transects, there are plenty of data for you and your students to explore! VI. Discussion Questions a) Think of an experiment you could run with your students that utilized any of the data products you used above. b) What other sensors would you add to a buoy? c) What additional resources would you add to an OOS website? Final Thoughts As you can see, there is a wealth of data available online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There are some discrepancies to the data, but for the most part it all lends itself well to classroom use. Like most technologies, the more you play with ocean observing systems and their data, the more comfortable you will be with using it. Regardless of whether you live on the beach, in the piedmont, or on the side of a mountain, there are air and water quality monitoring systems all around you, with more being continually added, and most are streaming data to the internet even as you read this. Good luck! Additional Ocean Observing System and Related Resources NOAA Tides and Currents USGS Data Online Conversions Salinity Calculator -

5 CBIBS 2008 Online Data Scavenger Hunt Data Tables I. Explore the Virginia Estuarine & Coastal Observing System (VECOS) Table 1. Gloucester Point Buoy Gloucester Point Buoy Lat/Long Date of latest observation Time of latest observation Air Temp Avg. Depth Salinity Temp ph Turbidity Dissolved Oxygen Current Current Height Period II. Exploring the Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System (CBIBS) Table 2. CBIBS Buoys: Jamestown, Potomac, Patapsco Rivers Date of latest Time of latest Conductivity Salinity observation observation Jamestown Potomac n/a n/a Patapsco n/a n/a Jamestown Potomac Patapsco Temp Turbidity Dissolved Oxygen Height Period IV. Exploring the NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NOAA NDBC) Table 3. NDBC Buoy #46071, Western Aleutian Islands, Alaska Date of latest Time of latest Lat/Long Air Temp observation observation Depth Temp Height Period